"Liu Piaopiao? What the hell is that?" Gu Qingfeng asked after the woman had left.
"Young Master, this Liu Piaopiao is the most famous musical courtesan in the surrounding regions."
Upon hearing 'musical courtesan,' Gu Qingfeng's brow twitched slightly. He knew that musical courtesans were typically those musicians who frequented pleasure houses, playing music—in simpler terms, they were entertainers who sold their art, not their bodies, performing tunes that stirred the heart.
Since ancient times, the existence of musical courtesans had always been controversial, especially among those self-proclaimed masters of the Musical Arts who looked down on them, considering them a disgrace to the art of music.
Of course.
Their disdain was their own business; it didn't stop everyone from liking them. Men were all fond of this sort, especially those musical courtesans with a bit of beauty. If their mastery of the Musical Arts was also profound, good heavens, their popularity would surpass those so-called masters by more than eight streets.
"This Liu Piaopiao is enchantingly beautiful, captivating and soul-stealing, and she plays the Musical Arts exquisitely, so she's hailed as the number one musical courtesan in the surrounding regions. Some even call her the Blood Demon."
Fei Kui bowed, furrowing his brow as he said in a low voice, "I've heard this Liu Piaopiao has a taste for drinking human blood. Rumors say many men have been sucked dry by her..."
"Oh? Is that so."
Gu Qingfeng already had a pretty good idea who this Liu Piaopiao was. He drained the wine from his cup, stood up, and stretched, his bones crackling like firecrackers. With a laugh, he said, "Let's go, take a look."
"Young Master."
Fei Kui hesitated for a moment, a trace of worry in his voice. "The news of your presence at the Mountain Villa has already leaked... Those people outside looking for you might soon..."
"What, are you afraid I can't handle them?"
"This humble one doesn't mean that... In my humble opinion, it's better to avoid trouble than to invite it."
"'Better to avoid trouble than to invite it'?"
Gu Qingfeng turned and looked at him with interest. Fei Kui, frightened, quickly knelt on the ground, flustered as he said, "This humble one... This humble one has no other meaning. It was only because Young Master stood up for me that the news leaked... I'm worried about causing Young Master great trouble."
Gu Qingfeng walked over, patted his shoulder, and motioned for him to rise. "You followed me and got beaten; I got revenge for you. That's normal, and it's always been my principle in life. If you get beaten and don't seek revenge, then what's the point of cultivation? Just to transcend tribulations and become an immortal? Why become an immortal? For longevity? Why seek longevity? For eternal life? Why seek eternal life? Do you know?"
Fei Kui shook his head blankly. He was merely a Purple Mansion True Person; how could he have pondered such complex questions?
"Don't say you don't know; I don't know either. Since we don't know, we might as well not think about it. Live as freely as you can, taking each day of freedom as it comes."
Seeing Fei Kui still kneeling, Gu Qingfeng simply pulled him up. He continued, "We don't go looking for trouble, but when trouble comes, we're not afraid of it either. Hiding doesn't solve problems. I can hide from the first day of the month, but not the fifteenth. If I hide today and show my face in a couple of days, they'll still come looking for trouble. What then? Just to 'avoid trouble,' should I hide from them for the rest of my life?"
As he walked, Gu Qingfeng said, "I don't know why you cultivate, but since I was little, I've cultivated for only one thing: to walk proudly and unhindered. Hide? It's not that I've never hidden in this life of mine."
"I've hidden from people I could beat, people weaker than me."
"I've hidden from people I couldn't beat, people stronger than me."
"I've hidden many times in this life, but later I found that hiding blindly is utterly useless. It doesn't solve any problems; on the contrary, it only makes things worse."
At this point, Gu Qingfeng stopped and laughed. "Do you believe that if I hide today, the Yunxia Sect will be wiped out tomorrow? And your family, I reckon they wouldn't survive either."
What!
Hearing this, Fei Kui was stunned with fear. Only now, hearing Gu Qingfeng say this, did he realize the severity of the situation. If those people from the Nine-Hua Alliance, the Bingxuan Sect, and the Spirit-Capital Sect couldn't find Gu Qingfeng, then in their rage, they would surely...
Heavens!
Thinking of this, Fei Kui began to panic.
"Do you still want me to 'avoid trouble rather than invite it' now?"
Gu Qingfeng patted his shoulder, smiled, and looked at the sunset glow, saying meaningfully, "I once lost many brothers because of that bullshit saying 'better to avoid trouble than to invite it.' So... from then on, I understood, completely understood. I swore then that no matter what happened in the future, even if the sky fell, I would never hide again..."
Fei Kui stood there dumbfounded, his face full of astonishment.
"Let's go, what are you standing there for?"
Gu Qingfeng laughed. "Don't worry about your family. When we came out, I already had that old fellow Huode bring your entire family to the Yunxia Sect."
"Young Master..."
With a thud, Fei Kui knelt on the ground.
He too had understood.
Not the meaning of Gu Qingfeng's words, but the reason behind Gu Qingfeng's actions in the gambling house.
He had done it on purpose, intentionally exposing himself.
This way, the Yunxia Sect would be safe, and if the Yunxia Sect was safe, his family would be safe.
He was grateful, grateful beyond measure.
"Alright, get up. Come with me to listen to some music."
...
In this world.
Almost everyone knew that any Mountain Villa bearing the 'Crimson-Letter' insignia was, without exception, the largest, most luxurious, most extravagant, and highest-class Mountain Villa in the area, bar none.
Chixu Mountain Villa was naturally no exception.
As a Mountain Villa, it could not lack a tavern, a gambling house, bathhouses, or an auction house.
Now, with the outside world affected by the great spiritual transformation, many ancient cave dwellings had appeared in the surrounding regions, nurturing numerous spiritual vein resources. Many people were busy treasure hunting. Logically, business at the Mountain Villa should be quite slow at this time; even with some idle second-generation young masters patronizing it, business couldn't compare to usual.
However, Chixu Mountain Villa was an exception.
Business today was exceptionally good, especially as the sun set and dusk fell, with wave after wave of people entering the Mountain Villa.
These people weren't here for pleasure; they had come specifically to see the spectacle after hearing the earlier rumors.
They had heard that the recently famous Young Lord Chiyan, Gu Qingfeng, was hiding in the Mountain Villa, and that he had even beaten members of the Illusory Sea Jin Family in the gambling house.
Upon hearing this news, not many were surprised. If it were anyone else, people might have been shocked—after all, it was the Illusory Sea Jin Family. But since it happened to Young Lord Chiyan Gu Qingfeng, it didn't seem particularly extraordinary.
Rumors said that Gu Qingfeng, in his fight for the Taiyin Seed at the Cave Manor Eye, dared to kill even inner disciples and elders of the Spirit-Capital Sect, dared to kill inner disciples of the Bingxuan Sect, and dared to kill Murong Fei of the Nine-Hua Alliance.
One must know, the Spirit-Capital Sect was one of the top-tier major sects in the Liujin Region.
And the Bingxuan Sect was one of the top-tier major sects in the surrounding regions.
The Nine-Hua Alliance was the overlord ruling the surrounding regions.
Compared to these matters, Gu Qingfeng beating members of the Illusory Sea Jin Family here was nothing.